A man was talked down from the wrong side of bridge railings after three-hour negotiations with emergency services last night.

Police, ambulance, fire crews and the coastguard were all on the scene at Taw Bridge in Barnstaple from 8pm on Monday.

The road over the River Taw was closed at 10pm as negotiators continued to speak to the man, who was engaging with them but refusing to come back on to the right side of the rails.

But the man was brought back safely on to the bridge by fire crews at 11pm.

Taw Bridge in Barnstaple (Image: Google)

He was handed over to mental health professionals and the road was reopened a short time afterwards.

Watch a video below on how the Samaritans can help you

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The Samaritans can be reached round the clock, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. If you need a response immediately, it’s best to call them on the phone. You can reach them by calling 116 123, by emailing jo@samaritans.org or by visiting www.samaritans.org

Where to find help

These local organisations offer help and support to those suffering with mental illness

What to do if you see a person in distress in public

There may be a time when you are out in public and you spot a person acting in a way where you believe they are a danger to themselves.

With little information out there on what to do, some may carry on walking as they believe it's not their business to intervene, some may call 999, and others may attempt to intervene.

The Samaritans have issued the following advice on what to do if you do feel that you can approach a person who is clearly in need of help.

A spokesperson for the Samaritans, said: "We know that when a person is suicidal having someone to talk to them and listen to them, and showing that they are not alone, can encourage them to seek support.

"There is no evidence that talking to someone who could be at risk will ‘make things worse’.

"A little small talk can be all it takes to interrupt someone’s suicidal thoughts and help start them on a journey to recovery.

"If you think that someone might need help, trust your instincts and strike up a conversation, with a comment about the weather for example.

"So strike up a conversation if you feel comfortable and it’s safe to do so.

"If you are not confident about that, you can call 999. Your involvement could help save someone’s life."

You might feel that you don't know how to help someone, because you don't know what to tell them or how to solve their problems.

You don’t need to be an expert. In fact, sometimes people who think they have the answers to a problem are less helpful. Don’t forget that every person is different, so that what worked for one will not always work for another.

Find a good time and place, think about where and when to have the conversation before you start.

You might feel that you don't know how to help someone, because you don't know what to tell them. But you shouldn't tell them anything. Telling doesn't help.

The best way to help is to ask questions. That way you leave the other person in control. By asking questions, the person you are talking with finds his or her own answers.

The more open the question the better, questions that help someone talk through their problems instead of saying ‘yes’ or ‘no’ are the most useful.

Why – be careful with this one as it can make someone defensive. ‘What made you choose that’ or ‘What were you thinking about at the time’ are more effective.

At Samaritans, we call this style of conversation active listening.

Find out how they feel

Don’t forget to ask how this person is feeling. Sometimes people will talk you through all the facts of what happened, why it happened and what actions they are thinking of taking, but never say how they actually feel.

Revealing your innermost emotions - anger, sadness, fear, hope, jealously, despair and so on – can be a huge relief. It sometimes also gives clues about what the person is really most worried about.

Check they know where to get help

If someone has been feeling low for some time it is probably a good idea that they get some support, whether it is through talking to someone like a counsellor or getting some practical help.

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Mental Health Awareness

What is depression?

Depression is a mental illness. According to the World Health Organisation, it's the leading cause of ill health and disability right now.

It's much more common than you might think too, and it's on the rise; more than 300 million people globally are now living with depression, an increase of more than 18% between 2005 and 2015.

As with other mental illnesses, depression is steeped in stigma: the stigma means that those of us who are struggling often find it difficult to reach out and get help.

They're too scared to talk about what's going on for them for fear of discrimination. Yet sometimes simply talking can be life-saving.

The stigma also means that people are often scared and disengaged with mental health problems, they think they've never interacted with someone who is struggling and that it will never happen to them.

The truth is, it affects us all. We interact with people with mental health difficulties every day – they're our families, our friends, and our colleagues.

The symptoms of depression

Depression is more than simply a low mood: it causes mental anguish, impacts on our ability to carry out even the simplest everyday tasks, and can cause us to function poorly in work, education and socially.

At worst, depression can lead to suicide, now the second leading cause of death among 15 to 29-year-olds.

The symptoms of depression develop gradually and affect different people in different ways. Some of the symptoms your friend/loved one might be struggling with are:

Fact: There is no 'one' single known cause for depression. It is thought that stressful life events, family history, personality, loneliness, alcohol or drug use, and illness could all contribute to it; often it will be a combination of factors.

We may not know exactly what has caused our illness – it's something that can take a lot of hard work and support to figure out and work through.

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4. Your fashion choices dictate whether of not you can be depressed

"You look like you're out of a fashion magazine so you must be doing well."

"You present yourself very well for someone who claims to be depressed."

Fact: People with depression wear all sorts of different clothes. Just like the rest of the population, we will sometimes have pyjama days, sometimes live in jeans, and sometimes dress up to go out for the evening. Our illness doesn't dictate the clothes we are allowed to wear, and the clothes we wear don't show how ill we are.

5. It's immediately obvious when someone has depression

Fact: People with depression look just like anyone else. We don't have a special "look" or way of acting. We can smile, laugh, wear make-up, use public transport, do a weekly food shop – we present just as people without depression do.

6. Medication is a magic fix, or shouldn't be used at all

Commonly presented as: " You're taking pills so you should be fine now."

"You are hooked on antidepressants, why don't you come off them"

"Medication doesn't work at all"

Fact: Medication is a tool that can be used to help manage depression. For some of us it's helpful, for others it isn't. Often we will need some form of talking therapy alongside our medication.

Some of us might choose not to take medication at all and prefer alternative treatments, but the choice of whether to take medication should be down to the individual, and nobody should be shamed for their decision.

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7. Fresh air and exercise cure depression

Commonly presented as: "Get some exercise; go for a walk, it will clear your head."

"How can you be depressed on such a beautiful day?"

Fact: Nature can help when we have depression. So can exercise. However neither are a magic cure, and everyone is unique, so something that might really help one person, might not help another at all.

8. There is a simple "fix"

Commonly presented as: "It's because you're not busy enough!

'"Drink lemon water"

"Have you tried baking a cake?"

Fact: As much as baking a cake is a lovely idea, and might be a nice way to spend an afternoon, it's unlikely to cure depression.

There are many things that could help depression, such as talking therapies, medication, or time, but there is no magic cure and different people will need different treatments at different levels.

9. A relationship will cure depression, so will being single

Commonly presented as: "You need a get a boyfriend, that'll make you happy."

"You're engaged, you should be happy."

"You're single you have no husband, kids and mortgage to worry about."

Fact: People in relationships can be incredibly supportive of one another, which could help with alleviating certain depressive symptoms, but depression doesn't only affect single people, or only target people in relationships.